Method of filling teeth with porcelain.



I No. 738,517. I V PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903.. A R. K. BELDBN.

METHOD OF FILLING TEETH WITH PORCELAIN. APPLICATION nun MAY}, 1903.

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WITZVESSES: INVENTOR.

1 ATTORNEY.

Patented September 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROY K. BELDEN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF FILLING TEETH WITH PORCELAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,517, dated September 8, 1903.

' Application filed May 1, 1903. Serial No. 155,229. (No specimens.)

1'0 at! w/wnt it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY K. BELDEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Filling Teeth with Porcelain,of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to an improved method of making porcelain fillings for teeth, the object of my invention being to improve the method of making these fillings, so that they can be made with a much more accurate fit than heretofore.

Porcelain fillings are much superior to the more common gold fillings on account of their inconspicuousness as compared with the gold; but they are rarely used on account of the difficulty of making the fillings so as to 8X- actly fit the cavity and of securing the fillings in place with accuracy, which is absolutely necessary for a successful porcelain filling.

The object of my invention is to provide a method by which great accuracy can be obtained in preparing the filling.

The steps of my improved method are illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the form of the cavityin dental cement. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the taking of the impression from the cementin a plastic com position. Fig. 3 is a sectional View showing the composition removed from the cement. Fig.4

is a sectional View illustrating the step in which graphite is sprinkled upon the composition. Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the step in which copper is deposited upon the graphite. Fig. G represents the copper plate from which the composition has been removed. Fig. 7 represents the copper plate reinforced by a backing of type-metal. Fig. 8 is a section showing the type-metal covered with wax and the copper having a deposit of gold thereon. Fig. 9 is a view showing the gold matrix from which the copper has been dissolved. Fig. 19 shows the gold matrix filled with porcelain for baking. Fig. 11 shows the porcelain filling from which the gold matrix has been dissolved.

In practicing my invention I first obtain the form 1 of the cavity by pressing thereinto dental cement, which hardens very quickly. By means of the form thus obtained there is then secured a duplicate 2 of the cavity in a composition of wax, paraffin, and graphite. This duplicate may be obtained either by pressing the composition down upon the form or melting the same thereupon, and this step of obtaining the cavity in the composition is illustrated in Fig. 2. The dental cement is then removed, either bya suitable solvent or by mechanical means, leaving in the compo sition the exact form of the cavity of the tooth, as shown in Fig. 3. The surface of this cavity and the surrounding surface are then brushed with graphite powder, (shown at 3 in Fig. at.) Upon the graphite surface is then deposited by electrolysis a plate of copper, (shownat 4 in Fig. 5.) The composition is then melted away, leaving the copper plate as shown in Fig. 6. The copper is then backed by type-metal 5, as shown in Fig. 7. Having first coated the metal with wax 6, gold or platinum is deposited by electrolysis upon the copper plate, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The copper and type-metal are then dissolved, leaving the gold or platinum matrix 7, which is an exact duplicate of the cavity in the tooth, as shown in Fig. 9. This matriX 7 is filled with powdered porcelain 8, as shown in Fig. 10, and is baked therein, and

after it is baked the gold or platinumis disin the tooth.

I claim-- 1. A process of making porcelain fillings for teeth which consists of forming in a fusible material a copy of the cavity of the tooth, depositing by electrolysis a comparatively base metal therein to obtain a plate having thereon the form of the cavity, removing said fusible material, depositing by electrolysis on said plate a precious metal as gold or platinum to form a matrix in said precious metal, dissolving the base metal from the precious metal, to open the matrix, filling the matrix with porcelain powder, baking the porcelain, and removing the precious metal by aqua regia, substantially as described.

2. The process of making porcelain fillings for teeth which consists invfilling the cavity with cement to obtain a form, obtaining from said form a duplicate of the cavity in a fusible material, depositing by electrolysis a plate of base metal upon said fusible mate- 

